LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 03: Kenyon Martin #4 of the Denver Nuggets celebrates with teammates Raymond Felton #20 and Wilson Chandler #21 after scoring a basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA basketball game at Staples Center on April 3, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

Ben, it can be tough to be a Nuggets fan in a city that bleeds Celtic Green, but I have loved watching the Nuggets over the past few weeks. Give me some good news: this isn’t just a temporary hot streak, right? Are the Nuggets poised to compete deeper into the playoffs over the next 1-2 years?

—Sean, Boston

Sean: What’s up man? Hopefully you aren’t as obnoxious a Denver fan in Boston as Boston fans are in Denver.

Your question is the big debate in Denver — can the Nuggets sustain this hotness for the playoffs and into the future (or are they just temporarily hot, like Derek Zoolander, prior to Hansel’s ascension)?

Right now, everything is clicking, but the devil’s advocate (negative Nancy?) in me wonders — what happens if Denver goes down 0-2 against Oklahoma City. Do the players still have the discipline and belief in the system to dig out of that hole? Or is that when players start reverting to bad habits?

But regardless of how far the Nuggets advance into the playoffs, I think they are in a good place for years to come. Josh Kroenke, Masai Ujiri and Pete D’Alessandro (the cap guy) worked diligently to get Denver some assets but also get Denver under the luxury tax line. That’s huge. Then Denver doesn’t have to pay a penalty. The Nuggets should be in a good financial situation this summer, when they have to make decisions.

It appears that Nene is going to get a three-year deal, and that will cost them a pretty penny (what does pretty penny mean, anyway? Isn’t a dirty penny also just worth 1 cent?). The Nuggets will also try to lock in Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler, both restricted free agents. Whether Denver tries to make a another move will be clearer after the new collective bargaining agreement happens (whenever that might be).

But yeah, the fact that Denver isn’t just winning games, but is winning against teams like the Celtics, Spurs and Lakers means they’ve got something good going. The playoffs will be fascinating, the hot streak spills into May.

Hi Benjamin, do the Nuggets have a first-round pick in the NBA draft this year? And if they do who can you see them taking?

—Reid, Denver

Reid: The Nuggets will have their own first-round pick in this summer’s draft, which means they’d be drafting around pick No. 20, depending on how the lottery shapes out. A guy that could be fun to nab, especially because Kenyon Martin might be gone, is Kenneth Faried from Morehead State.

He’s listed at 6-feet-8, and a lot of times college guys end up being shorter than they’re listed, but if he is indeed 6-8, his rebounding motor is extremely enticing. He led the nation with 14.5 boards per game.

And, granted these are two different players, but hearing about Faried reminds me of Paul Millsap, now with the Jazz. At Louisiana Tech, Millsap led the nation THREE years in a row in rebounding. But, there was some question whether dominating in a smaller conference would translate to the pros.

But the fact is, someone dedicated to the craft of rebounding — and someone who is that successful at it — will probably find a spot in an NBA rotation.

In your search for a nickname for Timofey Mozgov, I would like to suggest, “The Thinker.” When sitting on the bench, he is almost always in some variation of “The Thinker” pose and Coach Karl says he has a high Basketball IQ so it works on a couple of levels. Your thoughts on the nickname and your thoughts on “The Thinker’s” future with TEAM Nuggets?

—DK, Broomfield

DK: I think you might be on to something. Often before games, Mozgov can be spotted in the Nuggets locker room . reading a book! I’ve been around NBA locker rooms since 2002, and I’ve never seen that before (I did once spot a guy reading a text message, but that was about as close).

Also, a reader named James pointed out: If my past Russian training is accurate, mozg, in Russian, means brain. So Mozgov means something like of the brain, maybe man of the brain.

Indeed, coach Karl likes Mozgov’s game and size (you can’t teach size), and the coach has said — if the games were 10 minutes longer, Mozzy Mozbourne would get some PT (no, Karl doesn’t refer to him as Mozzy Mozbourne, but perhaps he should, because that’s awesome). Your guy Mozgov helped Denver win the ballgame at L.A. the other day, thanks to his ability to gobble minutes and gobble rebounds.

I’ll say this — it’s too early to determine how well Timofey will do in the NBA, but I bet he someday becomes known for more than just the guy who was face-to-face with little Blake Griffin during that dunk.

Hey BHoch. The “new” Nuggets are just awesome. No primadonnas, but a deeper team. Solid defense, much more options than Melo Vainthony on offense. Gonna be fun at the playoffs. Go Nuggets! Go Gallo!

—AC, Milan, Italy

AC: So wait, your name is AC and you live in Milan? That’s pretty cool. My favorite soccer team is the now-defunct St. Louis Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League (my favorite player, of course, was Daryl Doran).

You’re right, the new-look Nuggets have been excellent on defense. If you haven’t seen this stat yet in previous articles, check this out: Before the trade, Denver allowed 105.2 points per game. In the 19 games since, including the good effort against the Lakers on Sunday, the Nuggets have allowed just 94.8.

And here’s another cool stat — with a 10-3 record in the month of March, the Nuggets have now registered 24-consecutive winning months dating back to March 2007.

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